Not Applicable
Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a golf club heads. Specifically, the present invention relates to a weighting member for a golf ball club head.
2. Description of the Related Art
Numerous techniques have been used for weighting golf club heads in order to gain better performance. In persimmon wood club heads, weights were attached to the sole in order to lower the center of gravity. The first metal woods had sufficient weight, however, the weight distribution deterred slightly from performance. The refinement of hollow metal woods with weighting on the sole improved upon the performance of these clubs. An example of such woods are the GREAT BIG BERTHA(copyright) HAWK EYE(copyright) drivers and fairway woods, developed by the Callaway Golf Company of Carlsbad, Calif., that use a tungsten screw in the sole of each titanium club head body. Another example of additional weighting of a golf club head is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,447,309, which discloses the use of three weights fixedly disposed within the interior of a club head to provide a selected moment of inertia for the club head. Yet another example is set forth in British Patent Application Number 2332149 for a Golf Club Head With Back Weighting Member, which discloses a weight pocket in the exterior rear of a wood for placement of epoxy inserts that vary in density.
In irons, weighting of the club head has assumed many variations. One example is perimeter weighting in which the mass is shifted to the perimeter of the club head such as the BIG BERTHA(copyright) X-12(copyright) irons developed by the Callaway Golf Company and as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,625. An example of additional weighting is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,857 which discloses the placement of tungsten inserts into the rear of an iron. Another example of additional weighting is the GREAT BIG BERTHA(copyright) TUNGSTEN-TITANIUM(trademark) irons, developed by the Callaway Golf Company, which used a screw to attach a tungsten block to the rear and sole of an stainless steel iron as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,776,010. Yet another example is the GREAT BIG BERTHA(copyright) TUNGSTEN-INJECTED(trademark) HAWK EYE(copyright) irons, also developed by the Callaway Golf Company, which feature an internal cavity with tungsten pellets in a solder, as set forth in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/330,292, for an Internal Cavity Tungsten Titanium Iron, filed on Jun. 11, 1999. The weighting of putters has varied as with woods and irons.
However, prior technology have been similar in that the weighting means, whether it is a medallion, plug, insert or the like, is a static weight and mass. More precisely, once positioned on the club head, the weight does not change. If a new weight is desired, then the old weight is removed and an entirely new weight means is placed on the golf club head. The weights may be ground to remove mass in order to lower the weight, however, these prior art weights cannot easily have their mass increased by the addition of material.
Further, each of the prior art weighting means have a fixed and unchangeable center of gravity (xe2x80x9cCGxe2x80x9d) and fixed and unchangeable moments of inertia (xe2x80x9cMOIxe2x80x9d). The CG cannot be moved and the MOI cannot be increased or decreased without dimensionally changing the prior art weighting means. Thus, the golf industry needs a weighting mechanism that allows for greater flexibility to adjust, the CG, MOI and also the swingweight on a golf club.
The present invention provides a solution to the problems of weighting in golf club heads that allows for greater flexibility in modifying the CG, MOI and swingweight of a golf club. The present invention is able to accomplish this by providing a weighting device composed of a polymer material, and which has a plurality of cavities for placement of high density pellets within some or all of the cavities. The weighting device is removably attached to the club head, and the number of pellets is increased or decreased to adjust the weight.
One aspect of the present invention is a weighting device for a golf club head. The weighting device includes a body and a plurality of high density members. The body is composed of a first material having a first density, and has a plurality of ports. The plurality of high density members are each disposed within a corresponding port of the plurality of ports. Each of the plurality of high density members is composed of a second material having a second density that is greater than the first density.
Another aspect of the present invention is a golf club head having a body and a weighting device disposed on the body. The body has a striking plate, a sole, a toe end and a heel end. The weighting device includes a weighting body and a plurality of high density members. The weighting body is composed of a first material having a first density, and it has a plurality of ports. The plurality of high density members are each disposed within a corresponding port of the plurality of ports. Each of the plurality of high density members is composed of a second material having a second density that is greater than the first density.
Yet another aspect of the present invention is a golf club head including a body and a weighting device. The body is composed of a metal material and has a striking plate, a sole, a toe end, a heel end and a hollow interior. The weighting device is disposed within the hollow interior of the body. The weighting device includes a weighting body and a plurality of tungsten spheres. The weighting body is composed of a polymer material having a density less than 1.0 grams per cubic centimeter, and it has a plurality of cavities. The plurality of tungsten spheres are each disposed within a corresponding cavity of the plurality of cavities.
Having briefly described the present invention, the above and further objects, features and advantages thereof will be recognized by those skilled in the pertinent art from the following detailed description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.